Gotham's Reckoning
by gladysnotw
Summary: {Takes place during TDKR} After Batman disappears, Barbara Gordon, a college student, feels it's up to her to keep the Bat symbol alive. But, when Bane arrives, it's up to her, Batman, and Blake to protect their home.
1. Identity

_That's where my demons hide_

* * *

I knew exactly who the Batman was. After he rescued my little brother and Harvey Dent died, he looked into my eyes.

I had seen those eye before on TV. The dark of eyes of Bruce Wayne stared at me through a mask. My father ran after him as police sirens were heard from blocks away.

The Batman did what he could. He just ran and took the blame of Dent's death with him. A few days after it happened, I drove to Wayne Manor alone.

I had met Bruce Wayne once. It was during his birthday a few years back. He kicked everyone out and his manor was found in ashes only hours later.

I parked in front of the house and walked up the steps to the front door. I knocked and waited.

Finally, his old butler opened the door. He was wearing a suit and welcome me with a small bow of his head.

"Miss Gordon." he said. "How can I be of service?"

"I'm here to see Bruce Wayne. Is he here?" I asked.

The butler paused. "I'm afraid not."

I smiled a bit and nodded. "I can wait. It's urgent."

The butler smiled a bit and opened the door further to let e inside. My steps echoed as I walked across the marble floor.

I sat in the living room and admired the scarlet carpets and beautiful chandeliers.

"Miss Gordon, it's curious to see you again."

I turned my head and saw him standing in the doorway. His dark hair and small smirk. He wore a blue long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up a bit.

I stood up from the fancy couch and cleared my throat. "Mr. Wayne, I'm here to talk to you about the events that took place a few days ago."

He raised his eyebrows. "What events? Are you referring-"

"Drop the act. I know who you are." I cut in.

His smirk faded and he stared at me.

"Why would you do it? Why would you take the blame for Harvey Dent's death when he nearly killed my family? Do you know what a big slap in the face that is?"

I didn't plan to sound so harsh but it just happened. He kept his eyes secured on mine.

"Does your father-?"

"My father doesn't know or care who you are." I said, shaking my head.

He stared at me with those dark eyes again. I could tell he was nervous. I had discovered his identity.

"Why did you do it? Why take the blame for Harvey Dent's death?"

"Gotham had it's hero and he has every right to-"

" _You're_ Gotham's hero, not Dent. The people looked to you and saw a symbol of hope and you just betray that."

He was taken back by my sudden outburst. He sighed deeply as he sat down in a chair and rubbed his temples.

"Batman wasn't going to last forever." he mumbled.

"Maybe not the actual man, but the symbol would've lived on. Haven't you seen the city? Your symbol is everywhere. The people need you."

"They need to move on." he replied, sternly.

I frowned. "You're Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne can also help, if Batman won't."

He shook his head and stood up. "This isn't any of your business to discuss, so if you'll excuse me, I have to dismiss you."

His butler returned and led me out of the door.

"Thank you for your...visit." he said, politely.

"Don't worry. I'll be back."


	2. Blake

8 years later...

My father walked onstage to give his speech. Bruce Wayne had offered his front lawn as a place to hold the anniversary of Harvey Dent's death.

It was a formal event and there were tons of food. I ate like a maniac and watched my father stand behind the microphone.

He glanced at one of Dent's portraits and lowered his eyes. He knew the truth. I raised my eyes as I saw a dark figure moving in one of the balconies of the manor.

Bruce...

He was bent over, holding a cane. I couldn't see his face because it was hidden underneath the shadows.

My father surveyed the audience and met my eyes. He quickly looked away and opened his mouth to speak.

"I have written a speech telling the truth about Harvey Dent..."

He held up a piece of paper and the audience was silent. Then, he paused and folded up the paper.

"Maybe the time isn't right..." he said, quietly.

I shut my eyes and sighed. Then, I glanced up at the dark figure as it slowly made its way back into the house.

I walked through the crowd and managed to find my car. I got in and drove to the GPD office to clean up my small office and head home. Walking through the halls, I felt like an idiot because I was wearing a dress. Some officers gave me a small nod as a greeting as I entered my office.

I opened the door and froze when I saw an officer inside. He was young with black hair.

I raised m eyebrow. "Excuse me? Can I help you?"

He was holding my office phone in his hand and cleared his throat. "Miss Gordon, I'm sorry I was looking for you when I heard the phone ring. It was your father, the commissioner."

I stepped inside. "And?"

"He wanted to know if you were here. I told him you were. He's on his way over here."

"That's kind of you. Now, if you'll excuse me."

"Of course." he moved away from my desk and towards the door.

"Nice dress. Good party?" he asked.

"Boring, actually."

He shrugged. "Well, what more can you do? What use is Gotham's police when all they do is attend a party for a man who died 8 years ago? Seems a bit stupid to be celebrating."

I gave him a cold look. "My father was required to attend, if you were curious."

"I wasn't. Seems odd that Dent dies and your father let the Batman go. Now, the Batman's vanished, like nothing."

"You got a name? Maybe you should break into other people's offices. You might find what you're looking for." I spat.

"Blake, Miss Gordon. And, please, forgive me for walking into your office." he said, walking out.

I sat down and robbed my eyes. The party was boring and I was exhausted from last night. It was a rough night from fighting a group of street thugs. The city newspaper was on my desk with a picture of a young woman with red hair and a mask. She wore a cape also.

"They never get a good picture of me, do they?" I mumbled.

After speaking with Bruce Wayne, I took on the job of fighting crime and keeping the Bat symbol alive. I never heard from him about it, so he either didn't know about it or chose to ignore it. I shrugged as I heard footsteps approach my office.

"Hey, honey. Cleaning up your office?" Dad asked.

"Yeah. I just finished-"

"Comissioner, it's the Congressman's wife, apparentley the Congressman never made it home, sir." Blake said, appearing in the doorway.

Dad nodded. "Alright, I'll just be a minute, son."

I glanced at Blake and he gave me a brief nod. "You go ahead, Dad. I'm done here. I just took out the trash, so I'm good to go."

Blake frowned at my little joke and walked away. Dad watched him go and turned back to me.

"Rookie?' I asked.

"Something like that. He's brilliant, I hear."

"Yeah, brilliant at breaking into my office."

Dad chuckled. "I was wondering why he answered your phone. I'm going to take care of this whole Congressman business."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, Dad."

He walked out of my office and closed the door. Quickly, I grabbed my purse and turned on the news to find out what was going on with this whole Congressman thing.

* * *

I pulled my mask on and took a deep breath. After days of searching and such, I managed to get some kind of hint of the Congressman's location. I tracked his cellphone and found out he was in a bar. When I got there, the bar was chaos. I spotted my father climb down into one of the sewers with a few of his men.

An explosion made me jump.

 _Dad!_

I glanced and saw another way into the sewer that was a few feet from the one my father climbed into. Carefully, I climbed in and was greeted with gunshots and then silence. I walked through the smelly sewer and heard footsteps and a groan.

I followed the noise and heard drills and other electric tools. Then, I froze when I heard voices.

"Why are you here?"

It sounded like someone was talking into a glass bottle and breathing heavily. I leaned my back against the wall and carefully peaked to see my father on the floor with two thugs standing above him. Another man came into view. He was shirtless and wearing a strange mask over his face. It sounded like Darth Vader's breathing.

"It's the police commissioner." one of the thug's replied.

"And, you brought him here?" Darth Vader asked.

"We didn't know what to do. We-"

"You panicked and your weakness cost the lives of three others." Darth Vader said, calmly.

"No, he's alone-"

Darth Vader broke the neck of the thug who spoke, leaving the other standing in fear.

"Search him. Then, I will kill you." Darth Vader commanded.

The terrified thug obeyed and searched my father's coat and pockets. He found a handful of papers and handed them to his masked leader. Distratced, he didn't notice my father rol off of the platform and into the running water. Shots rang through the sewer. I saw the masked man aim his own gun at my father.

Panicking, I threw a batarang at his hand and his gun fell out of his hand. He glanced in my direction and I quickly turned back to the wall.

"He's dead." I heard the thug say.

"Show me his body." the masked man said.

"The water goes through many sewers. We'd never find him."

A gunshot made me cringe. I swallowed and quietly turned to peak. When I did, a large hand grabbed my throat and I choked.

"You are not the Batman." the masked man said, raising a eyebrow.

His dark eyes met blue and I saw nothing but a thirst to kill

"No..." I breathed. "I'm Batgirl."

I grasped my belt and threw a gas pelet into his face. He turned away, throwing me to the floor. Quickly, I got up and ran into the platform, diving into the water. I let the water guide me through the sewer. Finally, the water dumped me out and I amanged to find my father. I rushed to his body and lifted hi head from the water.

"Sir? Sir, can you hear me?" I asked, soaken wet.

"Hey!"

I turned and saw Blake running towards us. I tried to lift my father's body up as he approached us.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

"That's not important now. Help me get him up." I grunted.

He hesitated but finally helped me. I stood up when my father started coughing.

"Sir, you've been shot. Calm down." I advised.

Blake paused and looked up at me, grimacing. I stared at him and he looked into my eyes.

"You...?" he said.

Without thinking, I gave him a hard punch and he fell over, unconscious. I ran away from the sewer and catching my breath. I exhaled and closed my eyes. Finally, I found my car in the alley that I parked it in. I removed my mask and wiped my face from the dirty water. Sighing, I picked up my cellphone and dialed.

"Hello? Yes, this is Barbara Gordon. I'd just like to inform Mr. Wayne that he'll be having a visit tomorrow morning."

* * *

I woke up on my living room couch with a massive headache. I was in my nightgown and exhausted. The doorbell rang and I groaned. Slowly, I got up and opened the door. Blake was standing there.

"Officer Blake?" I asked, flinching from the bright sunlight.

"Miss Gordon. I-"

"I'm sorry, if you're here to see my father, this is actually _my_ apartment. I can give you his-"

"Your father's been shot." he said, quietly.

My eyes blinked. "What?"

"I'd be willing to tell you about it. May I come in?"

I hesitated. "Sure."

He came in and we sat on the couch together. He stared at me as if he was looking for something.

"H-How was my father shot?" I asked.

"I think you and I...know how that happened." he said, rubbing his jaw.

"Excuse me?"

"I know you were there. You assaulted a police officer, so you better tell me the truth before I get you into trouble."

I stared at him with cold eyes and then closed them. "I can't..."

"Maybe Bruce Wayne will know."

I opened my eyes and looked at him, shocked. "How do you know..?"

"I think we should ask him ourselves." he said, standing up.

I looked up at him. He didn't seem like he was going to be shaken, so I sighed and got up. "Let me change."

We left the apartment and climbed into his police car. I put on a pair of jeans and plain black shirt. He drove and talked the entire way.

"So, how did it start?" he asked.

I bit my lip. "When he took the blame for Dent murder...you know, he disappeared. After days, I visited him. I knew exactly who he was. He was stubborn and didn't listen to me when I tried to reason with him."

"Why take the blame for Dent's murder?"

I shrugged. "I don't even know. But, after that visit, I knew that someone had to give Gotham hope. I took the mask on mysef and that's how Batgirl came to be."

Blake nodded and kept driving. "So, does he know about..Batgirl?"

"He's never approached me about it. So, he either doesn't know or God only knows." I shrugged.

"Well, let's hope he listens to us and changes his mind about hiding."

I scoffed. "Hope is the only thing we both lack and have."


	3. Bane

"What can I do for you, officer?" Bruce Wayne asked, weakly as he entered the living room.

He had a beard and looked pale and exhausted. Blake sat up and cleared his throat.

"Commissioner Gordon's been shot." he said, bluntly.

Wayne froze and turned to look at Blake. You could tell he was hurt by it, even thought he tried not to be.

"There was some shooting and explosions beneath the sewers. He kept mumbling words...Bane, workers, guns..." I added.

"Shouldn't you be telling your fellow officers about this?" Wayne asked.

Blake and I shared a glance and he sighed.

"I did. He asked if he also saw any large alligators down there. He needs you." Blake said, pausing.

"He needs the Batman." he said, staring at Wayne.

Wayne stared back. "If Commissioner Gordon thinks I'm-"

Blake shook his head. "He doesn't know. Nor does he acre who you are. But, we've met before."

I glanced at Blake as he swallowed and stared at the floor for a moment. "When I was a kid. At the orphanage. My mom died when I was young. I don't really remember it. Not a lot of pople know what it's like, you know? To be angry. In your bones. You have to hide your anger. Practice smiling in the mirror."

Wayne stared at him, like he understood.

Blake continued. "Like putting on a mask. One day, you showed up with a pretty girl in your arm. We were so excited. Bruce Wayne, billionare orphan?"

He was smiling now. Wayne also did, as if he remebered that day.

"We used to make up stories about you, man. Legends. When I saw you...I knew who you really were. I'd seen that look on your face. Same one I taught myself."

He stood up and I did the same. We made our way out of the living room and Wayne stared.

"I don't know why you took the fall for Dent's murder, but we're still a believer in the Batman. Even if you're not." Blake said.

We left, leaving Bruce alone with his thoughts.

"Miss Gordon." he said, finally.

I turned. Blake also did as Wayne approached us, limping and holding his cane.

"You've kept the bat symbol alive. Why?" he asked.

I hesitated. "Somebody had to do it, sir." 

"What made you choose to do so?"

"When you see your father strap gun to his belt and leave home for work everday. You appreciate the sacrifice he makes. When you see another man do the same thing but in a mask, you also appreciate it. So, when he quits, it has an effect on you."

Blake led the way to the front door and I followed. Alfred, the butler, held the door for us as we walked through. We climbed into his car and drove from the manor.

"You think any of that will stick with him?" I asked.

Blake shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

* * *

I was invited to a charity ball at the museum downtown. With my father in the hospital, he warned me to be careful about staying out too late. I arrived at the ball but no one was standing around to take _my_ picture. Everyone crowded around one limo and I just shrugged and headed inside.

After abour an hour, a familiar face stood in front of me.

"Somone must've put something in my drink. Because there's no way that Bruce Wayne is right in front of me." I joked.

He smiled and held out his hand. "Dnace with me?"

I took his hand and his other hand wrapped around my waist. We danced to the soft music and I noticed he didn't have his cane on him.

"Your leg all better?" I asked.

"It's getting there." he replied.

"Why go out of the lovely mansion tonight?"

"I needed to get something that was taken from me?"

"Your ego?"

"A necklace."

I chuckled. "Didn't know you were the feminine type."

"Actually, it was my mother's. But, she did have good taste."

I smiled. "I'll bet she did. Bit odd to see you at a charity ball."

"I was going to say that same thing to you."

"When you want to keep the bat symbol around, you need to see what goes on in the city that involves money." I replied.

"Look at you. Already a professional."

"Not as good as you were." I said, looking into his eyes.

He sighed. "Still on that, huh?"

"There's a stock exchange going on tomorrow. I'll be there too. What are your plans for the next few days?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I think the Batman is making his way back into society."

"Attending a charity ball gives you that big of an assumption?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Fixing your leg was step one, wasn't it? That's a good start in my book. This city needs you."

"The Batman wasn't needed anymore."

"He wasn't. But, now he _is._ Do something for the people if not for yourself. Being locked up in your mansion forever won't be good for you, I can already see that."

We stopped dancing as the music ended. Everyone applauded and he stared at me. "Wise words for a young woman such as yourself."

"Like I said, this city needs hope." I replied, walking past him.

* * *

At the stock exchange, I had to write a few reports as part of an assignment for the GPD and myself. It was chaotic as it was really crowded inside the building. Suddenly, a handful of people started screaming. I turned my head and saw a group of men run in with rifles and shooting the ceiling.

"GET DOWN!" they yelled.

Everyone panicked and got down. I crouched down and watched as the men scanned the room, making sure everyone was down. I looked around for a way to run out and change, but I was trapped. My eyes spotted the masked man coming in. He had a large jacket on and I could hear his breathing.

"This is a stock exchange. There's no money you can steal." a trader said.

"Really? Then, why are you people here?" Bane asked.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a device the size of potato chip. Bane's men began downloading something onto a device. I reached out and placed my device on one of the machines and crouched back down.

The image on the laptop they had began to become static and slow the download.

"They cut the fiber. The cell's working." one of the men said.

"For now." Bane replied.

His eyes scanned the crowd and his eyes met mine. I glanced away and stared at the floor. No dice. He approached me but I wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Get up." he said.

I swallowed and slowly stood up. He reached out and lifted my chin with his finger and stared into my eyes.

"You-"

"Eight more minutes." one of his men said.

Bane nodded. "Time to go mobile."

"Everybody out!"

The goons started shooting again and everyone hurried out through the entrance. I started making my way out, but Bane grabbed my arm.

"Not you, Miss Gordon. You might be useful. A police officer always is." he said, grabbing my arm.

He put a helmet on his head and turned me around. One of his men tied my hands behind my back and sat me on a motorcycle with Bane. I sat in front of him while he sat behind me. His hands gripped the handles of the motorcycle and drove off.

I let out a small scream as we burst out of the building. There were already several officers outside, including Blake. He saw me and his jaw dropped.

"Blake...!"

"Babs..." he breathed.

Quickly, he rushed into his car and drove after us. Other officers joined in the chase, warning them that the goons had me and several other hostages.

We drove through several streets and highways. Suddenly, we drove into a tunnel with two other goons. A police cruiser was behind us. The lights suddenly went off and Bane stopped. I saw my chance and snapped my head back against his helmet. He groaned in pain and I climbed off the bike, running for my life.

The lights went back on and I ran into a dark figure. I gasped as I looked into Bruce Wayne's eyes.

"Stay with me." he said, in a deep voice.

Batman stood behind me and untied my hands. We climbed onto his motorcycle and continued to pursue Bane and his men.

"What are they after?" he asked.

"They've taken everyone's money. I tried to slow them down, but it wasn't enough." I replied, as the wind flew across my face.

We drove towards one of the goons and Batman fired a line at him. It wrapped around his chest and yanked him off the bike. Batman stopped his bike and climbed off to grab the goon's backpack. Inside was the laptop from before.

"DOWNLOAD COMPLETE." a voice said from the laptop.

I sighed and shook my head. Suddenly, a bright spotlight appeared from a helicopter above Batman. I shook my head in disbelief.

"Leave him alone!" I yelled.

Batman rushed back to his bike and drove away. I looked back at the helicopter as I had my arms around his chest. A line of traffic appeared before us. He eyed a tow truck with a few cars and fired at them. He drove the bike onto the rampof the tow truck and we flew in the air onto another lane.

"Hang on!" he yelled.

The bike sped through several streets and I watched in total shock and amazement. They turned into an alley as I heard several police cars heading our way. Batman drove the bike into total darkness. A light came on as we were now in another vehicle. A door closed behind me as he sat into a chair. It was a...plane of sorts.

"sit down and hang on." he said.

I obeyed and sat down. He started the vehicle as a a megaphone was heard from the end of the alley. The pod flew into the air and I held onto my seat as we flew over all the cruisers and police. I turned to look at Batman who kept his eye forward.

"So, you finally decided to come back."

I wasn't sure what else to say to him but that.

"You shouldn't have gotten yourself noticed like that." he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Back in action and you're already scolding me. I did what I could. More than you've done in years."

That seemed to quiet him down for a bit. "I'm taking you home."

"Whoa, whoa, no way. I'm saying to help you find that guy."

"That's not where I'm headed. Daggett was involved with the stock exchange."

I grimaced. " _What?_ "

"He works with Bane."

"How do you know?"

"Selena Kyle works with both of them, and she's at Daggett's right now." he replied.

"Kyle...you mean, that jewel thief? She's involved with these guys?"

"Daggett has something she wants. He doesn't have it, and knowing her, she won't take that news well."

I got up from my seat. "Guess this means I should change."

"I'm taking you-"

"I don't care. I'm helping you with this." I argued.

"You can't. Not tonight. Bane took you for a reason. Being recognized by him like that isn't a good thing. You need to lay low for a bit."

I couldn't argue with that even though I wanted to. I sighed and sat back down. "Fine, but you're going to have to call me for backup one of these days."

"I know. I'm prepared to do that, so stay close to a phone."

* * *

I sat with Blake in a restraunt, explaining what had happened the night before.

"So, Bane approached you? Why?" he asked.

I bit my lip. "That night in the sewers, he caught me watching. He thought I was Batman for a moment, but he realized he was wrong. I managed to get away, but I think he recognized me somehow at the stock exchange."

"You've gotta lay low." Blake said.

"I don't know if he recognized me, though. He called me by my last name, but nothing more. If he really recognized me, he would've done something a lot worse."

Blake nodded. "Right. Any word from Bruce yet?"

I nodded. "He met with this Tate chick and showed her this fancy water filter underground. I don't like the looks of her. She makes me cringe with that accent. Anywaym he's got her running Wayne Enterprises."

Blake raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

I nodded. "Also, he met with Selena Kyle, a thief. Says he's going to meet with Bane somehow. She's going to lead him to him."

Blake grimaced. "That just sounds a little good to be true."

"I know. I'm going to follow him down there. If anything goes wrong, I'll contact you."

"Let me come."

I shook my head. "It's too risky with the two of us going. Besides, I need you up here on the surface. With my father in the hospital, there's no other person I'd trust to keep their eye on Gotham right now."

That seemed to satisfy him enough. He nodded and sipped his coffee. "Be careful when you go down there. You understand me?"

"Now, I've got _you_ scolding me?" I smiled.

"With your father in the hospital, who else is gonna do it?" he smirked.

"Well, since your'e such a gentleman, why don't you pay for the check?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

His smile faded and I laughed.

* * *

As planned, I followed Batman underground. He met with Selena and they walked through the tunnels together. I wasn't far behind. He walked into a large water canal of sorts and a barred door closed behind him. He turned to face her, shocked at her betrayal.

"I had to find a way to stop them from trying to kill me." she said.

"You just made a serious mistake." he replied.

"Not as serious as yours, I fear." another voice said, calmly.

I slightly gasped as I saw Bane come into view. Batman turned to face him without a hint of fear.

"Bane..." he mumbled.

"Let's not stand on ceremony here, Mr. Wayne." Bane said.

My hand covered my mouth from shock. Selena remained, watching the two men approach each other. Batman threw the first punch but missed. Bane returned with another punch and knocked Batman in the chest. He groaned but continued fighting.

"Come on, Bruce." I mouthed.

Selena looked behind her and spotted me. I gasped but she didn't approach me.

"Go..." she breathed.

I looked back at the battle going on. Batman and Bane were now out of my view.

"Get the hell away from here!" she hissed.

I backed away and ran off, hoping to contact Blake and get help. Selena didn't follow. She remained and watched the battle continue. Little did I know that it would end with the Batman being broken.


End file.
